tower



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

C. A. TOWER.

GAR GOUPLING. No. 541,400.. Patented June 18', 1895.

WITNESSE ITQVENTOR g CM* i JM MMM 3 Sheets- Sheet 2. C. A. TOWER.

GAR GGUPLING.

(No Model.)

Patented June 18, 189.5.

WITNESSES 3 sheets-Sheet: 3 C. A. TOWER. CAR GOUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 541,400. Patented June 18, 1895.

mi Norms PaYsns co, Pumaurno. wAsHmcn'oN, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON A. TOIVER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,400, dated June 18, 1895.

Application tiled .Tune 2, 1894. Serial No.5l3,300. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that 1, CLINTON A; TOWER, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a horizontal sectional view of two of myiinproved couplers, taken on the line I I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the couplers, partly broken away, as on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the knuckles. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the line IV IV of Fig. 1, showing the coupler when the knuckle is locked; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line VV of Fig. 1 with the knuckle unlocked and open.

My invention relates to that class of car couplers known as twinjaw couplers in which the coupling-head has a swinging knuckle adapted to engage a similar knuckle in the coupler of another car and is provided with an angled locking device, and its purpose is to provide improved means by which, when the locking device has been raised so as to free the knuckle and the knuckle swung open or partly open, the locking device is prevented from dropping down into the path of the knucklein such a manner as to prevent it from being swung back or to make it necessary for the locking device to be raised by en gagementI with a beveled surface on the knuckle in order to permit the knuckle to swing back Ybehind it into closed position, and also to provide means for limiting the tipping motion of the locking device to prevent jamming thereof.

The coupler which I show in the drawings is of the construction described and shown in a prior patent, No. 507,511, granted to me on October 24,1893. I shall rst describe the construction and operation of those parts of the same as are shown in said patent, and shall then describe my improvement thereon.

In the drawings, 2 represents the couplerhead, which, in general, may be of usual type. It has two jaws 8 and 4, and is provided with an internal cavity or recess, extending laterally into the jaw 4, and adapted to permit the coupling-knuckle 5 to swing upon its pivotpin 6. This knuckle is formed with an outer arm b, and an inner and preferably longer arm or tail c, Which project substantially at right angles to each other,'and the rear side of the tail is formed with a hook CZ. In order to hold the knuckle in locked position, (the position shown at B in Fig.1,) I employ an angled locking and opening piece set Within the coupling'- head, and shown most clearly on Sheet 3 of the drawings. The upper and transversely extending member or arm e of this angled piece reaches over the tail of the knuckle, its dependent block or head 7 is adapted to lock the knuckle when in closed position, and its dependent arm fextends downwardly at the rear of the knuckle. This arm is substantially upright when the knuckle is in locked position and passes througha hole g in the door of the coupler. In the initial lifting hereinafter described, the hole acts as a guide to insure the vertical movement of the angled piece. IVhen the knuckle is locked, the head 7 of the angled piece tits between the front side of the knuckle-tail and a shoulder h on the coupler-head, as shown in Fig. 4, but is Figs. 2 and 4, and at B in Fig. 1, the member c is above the tail of the knuckle, the head 7 ts in front of it and bears against the shoulder h, and the arm f of the angled piece fits within the hole g and is within the hook d of thetail. The angled piece is then braced by the tting of its arm within the hole and by the bearing of its head 7 against the shoulder, and eectually prevents the knuckle from swinging open.

To release the knuckle, and to permit it to be swung into the open position shown at A in Fig. 1, the brakeman raises the link 8, and thus lifts the angled piece above described until the end of its head 7 clears the tail of the knuckle and passes above the horizontal path of its motion, whereupon the knuckle can be swung open, either by hand or by the means described below.

The vertical recess in the coupler-head is made of sufficient height to enable the angled piece, not onlyto be lifted far enough to clear the tail of the knuckle, but to move beyond this point sufficiently to clear the end of its armf from the hole g. When in the act of unlocking the knuckle, the brakeman lifts the angled piece to its full extent, it first moves vertically until its arm f has left the hole, and then a notch e' on the upper sideof the member e engages a projecting rib or shoulder 9 on the coupler-head at the upper part of the recess, and in the further lifting, the bearing of the member e upon this shoulder will cause the angled piece to t-ip radially in a vertical plane and to swing its arrn f forwardly in a direction transverse tothe length of the draw-bar, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5. The radial motion of the angled piece, bringing its rearwardly dependent arm into action upon the rear side of the tail of the knuckle, will move it outwardly by a positive action vinto the open position shown at Ain Fig. 1. I In order to guide the angled piece and to brace it from lateral strain,I form in the base of the coupler-head a transverse groove j, in which the lower end of its arm f moves. The base of this groove is preferably made on a curved or circular arc, whose center is the shoulder 9, since such construction prevents the angled piece from becoming displaced and jammed in the coupler-head; and when the angled'piece is released after the knuckle has been opened, the end of its arm f will drop upon and be supported by the floor of the coupler within the groove. After the knuckle has beenswung openand the-lifting link 8 released,the angled piece remains in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 until the knuckle is swung back into locked position by the act of coupling or otherwise, whereupon the rearside of the tail of the knuckle will engage the armf and will move the angled piece so as to carry the arm back toward a vertical position, until its lower end comes into register with the hole g, when the angled piece will drop by gravity, it's armf entering the hole, and its head 7 adjustingitself in front of the knuckletail, thus locking the knuckle, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and at B in Fig. 1.

It frequently happens in the use of the coupler constructed as above described that the angled locking and opening device is raised so as to free the swinging knuckle and the knuckle swung open byhand or by draft of the car without tipping the angled piece so as to cause its arm f to leave a vertical position. In such case, when the knuckle is swung open, the angled piece will drop so as to bring its head back of the tail of the knuckle and in the path of the horizontal swinging motion of the latter, so that when the knuckle is again swung into closed position it must first raise the angled piece so as to lift its head 'Zout of its path before it can pass the same. In the construction shown in my said patent, I provide for this by-forming on the side of the head a beveled surface forth overthe guide-hole g, and is connected with the middle part or elbow of the knuckle preferably bya hook 1l at the end of the finger, which engages a notch 12 in the knuckle, the construction being such thatpas the knuckle is swung on its axis, the finger is moved lengthwise thereby, it beingv retracted as shown in Figs.2 and 4,'and at B in Fig. 1,when the knuckle is in closed position, and being projectedso as to extend over the hole when the knuckle is in open position, as

shown in Fig. 5,and at A- in Fig. l. To guide the finger in its movements I tit it in aiguideway or hole in the coupler-head, shown in Figs. 1 and2, so that it shall move back and forth over the hole g as the knuckle is open and closed.

When the angled locking device is raised so as to free the knuckle and the knuckle is then swung open, the act of turning it on its pivot will project the finger over the hole g, and if the locking device be not tipped for the purpose of opening the knuckle this finger will support it in elevated position by preven ting its arm f from dropping into the hole 'and will thus hold it above the path of motion of lthe knuckle. The knuckle can therefore be swung back into closed position without engaging the head of the locking device.

To limit the swinging or radial motion of the'angled locking and opening device so that in moving the knuckle open it cannot be tipped far enough to cause it to jam in Vthe recess in the coupler, I provide the following improved means: The lifting-chain 8 passes through the hole 13 in the top of the couplerhead, which hole is of shape, formed of two intersecting slots so that it shall serve as a. guide for the links of the chain. On the upper side of the head 7 of the angled piece is a. shoulder 14, the `inclination and position of which is such that when the angled piece has been lifted and the last link of the chain is in the hole 13, the inner side of said shoulder shall engage the link and shall press against oneside of the same, forcing the other `side of the link against the wall of the cross-slot of the hole 13, and kthus jamming it so as to prevent further tipping or swinging motion of the angled piece. This construction is very desirable, as it is simple and altogether reliable in its action. j

IVithin the scope of my invention as defined in the claims, many changes in the form, construction and relative arrangementof the parts may be made by the skilled mechanic,

IIO

and although I deem it desirable to arrange the supporting linger as the base of the coupler-head in the manner shown in the drawings, my broader claims are not limited thereto.

I claiml. A coupler having a swinging knuckle, a vertically movable locking device, and an upholding linger made separate from the knuckle but connected with the middle part or elbow thereof so as to be moved thereby, and being movable so that when the knuckle is open it shall be brought under the locking device and shall sustain the same; substantially as described.

2. A coupler having a knuckle, a radially movable angled locking and opening device whose rear arm extends back of the tail of the knuckle and is adapted to tit in the guide hole in the coupler-head, and a finger movable by the knuckle and adapted to be moved thereby to obstruct said hole when the knuckle is swung open; substantially as described.

3. A coupler having a knuckle, a radially movable angled locking and opening device whose rear arm extends back of the tail of the knuckle and is adapted to iit in the guide-,hole in the coupler-head, and a finger movable by and with the knuckle and adapted to be moved thereby to obstruct said hole when the knuckle is swung open, said linger being made separatefrom the knuckle and pivotally connected therewith; substantially as described.

4. A coupler having a swinging knuckle, a vertically movable locking device, a separate upholding linger which projects from thel 

